I have an 89 dakota 2wd with an 8.25 rear and I am thinking of upgrading to a 9.25. I was wondering what years and models of the dakota and durango came with the 9.25 and if this is even possible. Would there be any differences in the rear such as u joints or the widths in the rears? Any info appreciated

 

The only dakota or durago that came with the 9.25 is the RT versions 99-up. They should be almost a direct fit. Shock locations and brake line fittings may be the only difference. The 8.25 is a strong axle. One magazine said it is compairable to the dana 44s. I have a 8.25 with a high horsepower 5.9 with a locker and 33s and absolutly no problems. As long as it is set up correctly it should take anything. Why were you looking to upgrade it for. Are you adding some extra power or anything?

 

My 05 has a 9.25" in it.

In the 3rg Gens, the V8s have them, and the V6s don't.

 

I guess I should have explained a little better the dakota has a 440 with 450 hp in it . The 8.25 has about 110,000 miles on it and is making a loud howling noise when on accelerator while cruising thats the only time it makes noise. I was just thinking instead of putting money in a rear that still might end up coming back out that maybe I should upgrade.

 

3rd gen V6 Dakotas can be had with the 9.25" axle...if they were built with the manual tranny. My '07 V6 6 speed has a big old octagonal 12 bolt 9.25 underneath. That combo is pretty rare, though.

I've read good things about the 9.25 axle ; most offroad sites rate it slightly below the Dana 60.

Also, I think all 1500 Rams have the 9.25. Spring and shock mounts might be different though, so I'm not sure how much that will help.

A howling rear end sounds like a pinion bearing to me...take it easy on until you can get a replacement / rebuild kit.